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Topic: Cooking set (Read 2289 times)

Hey everyone, so next March I'm doing a bike-camping adventure in the French Italian and Swiss Alps,Sooo Im not sure what to do for cooking...What do you reckon I should get?I imagine It cant be too heavy how much should it way?I saw these but they look extremely heavyhttp://www.camping-gear-outlet.com/camping-equipment-300.htmland I also found thesehttp://www.twenga.com/price-camping-cooking-set.htmlBut I really dont know what to do...Where can Iget these things in europe?is there a website that sell these things and ship in france?Thank you very much for helping me out!

Brel, thank you for joining CycloCamping Forum. Just for your information CycloCamping.com do ship to France and have very competitve pricing. On this link you'll find and excellent selection of cookware for bicycle touring.

The Alps are such a great destination! Not easy tho...What you will need really depend on you. I personally like to cook and I do everything to avoid the cost of eating at restaurant (in western country anyway) so I use a fairly large pot (2L) and a good quality fry pan (even when I travel by myself). Some solo travelers only go with a small pot just enough to make tea and instant noodle. After that, it will depend on your budget.

Basically you have the choice between:

1) Titanium: most expensive, Lightest weight, low thermal conductivity, very strong, no impact on health2) Stainless Steel: Good price, Heaviest option, best thermal conductivity, very strong, no impact on health3) Aluminum: Cheapest option, very light, good thermal conductivity, poor strength (gets banged up very easily and the lid won't fit in no time), unhealthy

To respond to your question, I would not go for a cookset heavier than 800g (which already pretty heavy) including pot, pan and lid. I don't recommend buying fork and knives made of titanium this is a waste of money (good for climbers maybe but not for cycle tourer). You can buy those in any outdoor store in Europe (in France they have au vieux campeur - great selection but ridiculously expensive). Overall, Europe tends to be expensive for those stuff.

I personally didn't choose a cookset, I purchased everything separately. The reason for this is that I wanted a light pot, but a good fry pan where everything won't get burned and stocked to the bottom of it. So I have a MSR titanium pot (which fits in my frying pan - expensive but awesome), a Primus stainless steel fry pan (with a nice and thick bottom) and a cheap platic plate (which fits between the pot and the fry pan). I end up to change my plate every couple trips as they get cracked quite easily but they are so cheap I don't really care.

I used to have a complete cheapo SS cookset, it was quite nice for what I was doing but the steel made it too heavy and I didn't like to have food sticking in the fry pan (I like to cook omelette and pancakes!). A buddy of mine was using a Evernew cookset on a trip we did together and it was fantastic so I got one for myself (Evernew won the 2010 backpacker magazine award). It is titanium but it is much more affordable than msr titanium stuff, and the best part is that it has this nice non-stick surface in both the fry pan and the pot (so now I can even cook stews!) - I am the same way than you tony, I love to cook! cyclocamping carry the evernew dx pot here: http://www.cyclocamping.com/Cookware__Dishes/81-1-cat.aspxAs for the plate I use the S2S X Plate by Sea To Summit. It takes no room in the bag as it folds flat and it is made of a food grade plastic that is virtually unbreakable. Plus I can use it as a cutting board!good luck!

I like Trangias. The 27 is lightweight(ish), small(ish), but not so cheap. I was lucky and got a Clas Ohlson meths stove - it's basically a cheap version of a Swedish Trangia rival. you can see it here, alongside a Trangia 27 and a Swedish army Trangia:

I have the Trangia 25, and find that thought the Clas ohlson has a cheaper looking burner, it it faster to boil water (about six to eight minutes for two cups). It's lighter than the Army model and the 27, and though it is a bit broader, it is shallower, so all in all is about the same bulk as the T.27. It is really cleverly designed so the meths burner heats the sides as well as underside of the pan, and as such, i find it quicker to boil than either Trangia. And at £10 compared to £40, a great buy. Trouble is the store doesn't sell them online, so you either have to pick one up or find another supplier.Meths is redily available in Europe, and cheap, so the fuel is not a problem, It also comes with two pots and a frying pan/plate, and a pot grabber. So all in all, a great buy (if you ask me).

We tried tried the Jetboil PCS with the cooking pot and it did well in New Zealand. Where we could find the screw top gas canisters. We just got the Trangia 27 brilliant little kit, though rattles when packed alone so use something to pad it out with. The 27 isn't big enough for a two persons evening meal, we like our food. I think we will upgrade the 25 since the pots and pans are bigger.